The ship was positioned near the vast asteroid field near the Tau 23 jumphole, poised to makes its run through open space and into the relative safety of the kyushu gas clouds. This was the most dangerous part of her journey home as the Kusari Navy maintained patrols in the area.
"What is the location of the patrol?" inquired Jessica
"Looks like they are heading for planet Kyushu and are out of scanner range, now is the best time..." replied John as he squinted at the readings on his control panel.
The ship lurched forward, her engines at full power, they needed to get out of open space fast, before the next patrol came, and if one showed up they only had one ace up their sleeves. Engineering had managed to get the cloak operational, but it couldn't be used while the ship's engines were engaged. The cloak was also highly unstable and would likely not last long...
Within minutes the ship slipped past the tradelanes, the halfway point when... a KNF patrol came into scanner range...
"Jess, we've got company, looks like 2 gunboats with escort fighters, coming straight at us, looks like they haven't been able to scan us yet" blurted out John
"Helm, cut power to engines, Engineering.. get the cloak online" ordered Jessica
The Thunderbay slowed to a crawl, and all her power was diverted to the damaged cloak. Slowly space distorted around her, and she disappeared from view. The KNF patrol kept on their course, heading dangerously close to the cloaked ship. Upon reaching 2k from where the ThunderBay lurked, they halted and began scanning....
"They know something is out here..." an ensign whispered...
"Bridge, the cloak is starting to collapse, we can only keep it up for a few more minutes" reported engineering
"ok, open a channel to the KNF ships, and bounce our signal off that gas giant" ordered Jessica as she approached the comm panel
The officer at the station punched in a few commands "This should make it seem like the signal is coming from orbit of that gas giant, opening a channel now" *beep*
Jess picked up the microphone and began.. "This is Universal red 13, we are under attack by Blood Dragons and need immediate assistance, please respond... " *Beep* "Cut the signal"
The KNF ships lingered for a few more seconds then cruised off towards where the "distress signal" came from, leaving scanner range.
"That should keep them busy for a bit, disengage the cloak and power up the cruise engines, get us into that gas cloud"
"Aye Sir" replied the helmsman
"That was close, we got lucky this time Jess, I suspect this trick wont work again" John spoke up
"It wont have to, the rest of the journey we can avoid open space and stay hidden in gas or dust clouds..."
The ship cruised off undetected, into the gas cloud which would hide it from further threats. Of course the clouds were full of criminals, but searching for a ship in that mess would take ages, by the time they noticed anything the Liberty ship would be gone. The rest of the journey was rather un-eventful... the ship passed through the Shikoku system and managed was home free once they entered the Kepler system. The entire crew except Jessica were finally able to relax as the ship entered Colorado. Jessica would be locked in her office explaining what had happened to high command.
"So you made it back without the KNF even detecting you?" inquired Admiral Garner?
"We believe so, the cloak, while damaged, managed to hold up and keep us hidden"
"Captain Decker said you were all dead and the ship was lost"
"Glad to tell you he's wrong, however I have to inform you, he's been infested with a nomad"
"We figured something was up.. wait... my gods..."
"Admiral?"
"Its Decker, he just broke into the storage facility on Juneau and stole an artifact of some sort and escaped on the Yellowstone"
"Admiral, we will be there within the hour to begin the search.."
"No, the ThunderBay needs extensive repairs, we'll send other ships after Decker."
Decker sat quietly in his fighter, floating through space, he had left the Gunboat Yellowstone behind, its crew dead, he could use that ship later for future plans... but for now there were more pressing matters.
He looked to his side where an apparent Liberty Cruise sat, waiting, but all was not as it seemed. The cruiser itself was infested to its core, it was one of them.
Information had come through the mindshare of conflict within the colonies, while indeed Bretonia and Kusari were in open conflict, tensions now rose between Rheinland and Liberty. All these houses needed was a gentle push and they'd engage in open conflict. The resulting devastation would make it easier for the nomads to complete their goals.
The gentle push had hopefully come today.
The plan was simple, the cruiser would act as a Navy ship and destroy rRheinland ships entering the Bering system under Liberty's name. Decker had arrived as support and aided in the destruction of a Rheinland military vessel before they had made their way out of the system, leaving the two houses to argue and fight.
*Meanwhile in the Alaska system*
The LNX_ThunderBay sat in the Juneau drydocks undergoing major repairs. Jessica sat at her desk, looking over the days report when John entered.
"Jess, did you see the latest navy reports?"
"No not yet, why?"
"Here, take a look, apparently a ship by the name of LNS-Tundra was spotted in the Bering system attacking Rheinland ships"
"What? why would the navy attack Rheinland?"
"According to high command, the Tundra is not under their command?"
"What do we know of the Tundra?"
"Not much, besides she was a cruiser lost awhile back in this system, we thought the nomads had destroyed her"
"Damn, this is not good, with the current tensions.."
"There is more, reports show a fighter with this ship, its pilot was Decker"
"Decker... could the nomads be involved in this? Thank you for letting me know"
John nodded and left the office
Jessica sat for a moment, contemplating her next move... shortly after she stood and headed for the bridge. Upon entering the bridge she walked over to the comm station.
The Senior staff sit in a briefing room on Juneau, several technicians and engineers are standing in front of a computer screen, showing images of the crippled ThunderBay
One engineer began "I'm afraid the damage is too bad... the uncontrolled jump into hyperspace put too much stress on the hull, its amazing you made it back here... I doubt the ship can ever leave this system again without splitting in half..."
"Can she be repaired?" asked Jessica
"Well, yes but it would be incredibly expensive..."
"And thats why the ship will be decommissioned and scrapped for spare parts " Admiral Garner walked in. "With war on the horizon, we simply cannot afford the luxury of nearly rebuilding the entire superstructure..."
"And the crew is to be reassigned?" John spoke up
"No, we plan to keep the crew together, we have a new ship that is just coming out of drydock."
The second engineer hit a few keys on the computer terminal, bring up the schematics of a new Battlecruiser.
"She's one of the most advanced ships in the fleet, incorporating many technologies into her design which were tested on the ThunderBay..."
Garner finished up "Now I'd suggest you all go pack and get ready for the launch..."
Iâll carry this flag
To the grave if I must
Because itâs flag that I love
And a flag that I trust
Something was wrong, it was quiet... why is it so quiet? he should hear the others by now.. but they are gone... no never were there... what is this?
Decker's guardian slices through the dense field, heading towards the location of the texas jumphole.
Something went wrong with the blending... what could it be? he should have been connected to the mindshare instantly... but there was nothing.. it was quiet. Where were the others? why couldn't he hear them....
At first he thought, it was temporary, but the voices.. the comfort... the familiarity was still missing... he had to find out what was wrong...
Decker looked down at the artifact he had stolen, it had begun to glow... it would show him the way.... the way to reconnect with his kind, but not only was it a map.. it was a key.. a key to unlocking something much greater.
Iâll carry this flag
To the grave if I must
Because itâs flag that I love
And a flag that I trust
Just as he had thought... the artifact had illuminated his way.
Decker's fighter held its position near a massive Dom Kavosh hypergate. The gate while being inactive for so long, still worked.
He nudged his fighter closer and picked up the artifact, which now began to glow with increasing intensity. As he approached the gate activated with an explosion of colours. There would be no turning back, he accelerated and took his fighter through.
The journey through hyperspace was something he had never experienced before, yet somehow felt natural. As he emerged from hyperspace a feeling of belonging overtook him. This was it.. this was home.
The radiation was intense, he'd have to move quickly, his human host could not withstand this for long, nor could the human ship he was flying. It wouldn't take long however he knew where he was going. It was not long before a massive structure appeared before him.
It was organic, it was alive? maybe... it was where he had to be.. but something was off here.. humans? there was a human presence here. How did these vermin get here?
A ship was approaching... it claimed to be some sort of Oracle...
"Good day seeker, what brings you here" came from the vessel but he ignored it.. these Oracles were at this moment irrelevant to him. He landed his ship on the station and exited. With purpose he pushed passed the startled humans who had come to greet him. His artifact's glow became more intense as he approached a door, which opened automatically, as if sensing his presence, then sealing behind him to keep the human intruders out.
The room itself glowed like his artifact, he could feel an energy flowing through him. At the center of the room a massive fountain like structure sat but it was not water in it. It was a form of energy. He willed himself forward, knowing this was what he needed to do. With no hesitation, he jumped into the fountain and was immediately surrounded by an intense aura created by the energies. It began dissolving his host body, combining its DNA with his own. He began to grow, to mature into his true form. It would not be long before he could once again rejoin the mindshare and his kind.
Iâll carry this flag
To the grave if I must
Because itâs flag that I love
And a flag that I trust
*Onboard the LNX_ThunderBay, enroute to a classified location*
"Ladies and Gentlemen, if I may have your attention " Jessica looked down the long conference table, all her officers were paying attention but a couple scientists were still busy discussing some reports "Ahem, everyone"
They put down the papers and looked up at her.
"Alright, as you all know we are at the edge of the California system. Navy command has assigned us an interesting task. It would appear the war with Rheinland is under control for now, and we are to deal with other matters. At 15 hundred hours, yesterday a deep space sensor satellite in Alaska picked up some alarming readings in the Coronado system"
She brought up a display, showing the readings, then put them next to the readings from a Dom, Kavosh hypergate in the Omicron Minor system.
"Seems there might be a gate in this system, and we are to investigate. I want everyone ready, we don't know what to expect."
The ship entered Cortez and immediately the Cloak was raised. The ship silently moved its way to the location of the Coronado Jumphole, or at least the location a greedy freelancer had given them. Reaching the jumphole the ship jumped inward. The area the signals were coming from was the interior of an ice field... the ship slowly moved in, its scanners at full strength when the comm unit activated.
"Admiral, we are receiving a message from the Louisbourg Fortress, they have been apprised of our mission and are standing by to provide support"
"Alright, acknowledge that we've received the message. helm how are we doing"
"We are, about 20k from the structure, it should be in sight soon, Ma'am"
She cringed... did he just call her Ma'am.. she hated that.... "On screen"
Visibility was low... nothing out of the ordinary for the barrier nebula, but a lightning flash... and the silouette of a vast gate could be seen... the ship approached, taking careful scans.
"It appears to be damaged and inactive" shouted an excited scientist
"Theres a ship nearby!" shouted another
"Scan the ship"
"its a rogue freighter of some sort... no power, no life signs.. no damage... "
"strange bring it in.."
Suddenly the ships alarm system went off, indicating high levels of radiation
"Admiral! there is extremely dangerous radiation coming from that gate"
"Shields up! back us off slowly, get Dr. Valdores up here"
"its hull seems to be regenerating or repairing itself slowly..." one of the scientists pointed out, showing Jess his data.
"Damn, if this is right, this thing might become active, if it keeps repairing itself... why is it still damaged? whats taking so long?"
"The lead scientist stepped up, I believe we can answer that... you see the damage appears to have occurred thousands of years ago, when this gate would have been in a deep freeze, with all this ice.. however most recently the Barrier nebula has shifted.. and now more sunlight is entering. We figure this is triggering the repairs, likely this gate stayed dormant for thousands of years until only recently."
"Ok, so we need to stop it from re-activating, options?"
"We could blow it up" John blurted out, always eager to fire his weapons
"why not let it activate, then see whats on the other side?"
"No, I think we best destroy it... probably thousands of Nomads are gonna come pouring out of this thing if it opens... arm all weapons"
"Aye, Admiral, all weapons are armed"
"Fire, conventional weapons"
The Thunder Bay opened fire with all her turrets, however none did much damage to the structure, then several missiles were fired. In a comical turn of events the structures radiation field knocked out the missile guidance systems and they turned nearly hitting the Thunder Bay.
Finally the ThunderBay opened up with her forward mortars, both doing minimal damage, but damage none the less.
"That did it, not much though, call in the Louisbourg, lets see if a little team work can make a dent in this thing.
The Fortress arrived shortly and both ships began to pummel the structure, trying different locations, all seemingly working but not nearly as fast as it could be. Finally and Order vessel arrived, after being contacted, and it itself aided in attacking, however even its heavy mortar did little.
"I got an idea, take your ships and back off about... 5k from here" Jess told the other two ships.
"John, prepare that Mark 20 nuke, you have stashed away in the armoury..."
"I doubt that would do much..." he protested
"Just do it, and get ready to fire it"
The nuke was prepared, and fired between the gate and the sun, the Thunder Bay moved off to a safe distance...
The explosion itself was amazing, thousands of asteroids were vapourized, forming a cloud.. enough to block the sun.
"Admiral! the power levels are drastically dropping..."
"This will buy us time for now, lets head home, signal the Fortress to form up on us, and thank that order ship for its help"
The ships moved off, heading back to Liberty space, they'll be back once command was briefed...
Iâll carry this flag
To the grave if I must
Because itâs flag that I love
And a flag that I trust
Jessica sat at her desk debating what had happened the last couple days. She had thought speaking with the order would be the best way to help save liberty but... what had gone wrong? why was the high command so unwilling to negotiate anything?
She had purposely taken the Thunder Bay into the far corners of Alaska to avoid any Navy patrols, she just didn't know what to do.
If she returned there was a good chance the Navy would press charges for treason, yet she couldn't stay forever in open space.
John Bertrand entered the room "Jess, everything alright? you've been in here ever since the negotiations failed"
She looked up at her friend "John, I dont know if I can do this..."
"Do what?"
"Keep serving these corrupt politicians and military officials... something is up it just makes no sense. Why would they outright deny any kind of talks for peace..."
"Maybe they are infested by the nomads? its happened before" John said half jokingly
"Maybe..." she sounded serious " You seriously don't see anything wrong here? Treason charges over this?"
"They did seem rather... sensitive over the possibility of peace with the order... but even if we were to try and fight it, what could we do? one ship versus all the others in the fleet?"
"John, as we left Minor, I received a few encrypted messages from the Order... they said they'd be honored if we joined them in their fight..."
"Your not seriously..."
"I am... I can't go back to be sent to a military prison, if so what has all this been for? all the losses?"
"Jess, you know whatever you decide I'm with you, so is Sharon and many of the crew here..."
"Could I ask them to throw away everything? I couldn't..."
"Give them the choice... " John said reassuringly "You'll see"
She sighs then hits a few buttons on her desk, turning on the ship wide comms
"This is Ad... Jessica Porter to all hands, as I'm sure you all know by now the Order negotiations have failed and the Navy wish us to return for court martial.. apparently by speaking with the order we've committed treason. I personally don't intend to sit back while the Nomads take over our space, so I intend to refuse their orders. In fact the Order have offered to take us in, to let us keep the fight going. Something the high command and politicians in Liberty will not. Anyone wishing to stay may, but be assured it will be tough going, anyone wishing to leave may do so at their free will, and we will transfer you over to the Louisbourg fortress, which is nearby and harbour no bad feelings towards you. It has been an honour to serve with all of you"
An hour passes, and the ThunderBay meets up with Jimmy and the Louisbourg.... 356 of the ThunderBays 500 crew left, to return to families or other obligations.
The Thunder bay then cruised off, unknown as to what would become of her and her crew.
Iâll carry this flag
To the grave if I must
Because itâs flag that I love
And a flag that I trust
Jessica and John stood in the Biodome of Freeport 11. The zoners had generously agreed to allow them to stay, for the time being as long as they caused no trouble. Currently the only ship the Navy had sent was the Utah, however it would appear the mission at this time was not to force them home to a prison cell.
Apparently they simply wish for any intel on the nomads and the Tundra, and to be sure the ThunderBay wasn't infested as well.
"Do you trust this "Wolfe" lady?" John asked
"Not really, she has a hidden motive... but she seems honourable" Jessica leaned back against a tree "Besides, if they were going to do anything, they would have.. unless they are waiting for backup"
"Hmm yeah, maybe we should move off?"
"Yes, once we get supplies we'll move off and begin our work against the Nomads, and hopefully hear back from the Order soon enough."
"We've shut down most of the ship to conserve power, moved the crew to the interior sections... though we are pretty undermanned right now"
"I know... but it could have been worst... least we have a crew"
She looked up, to the ThunderBay moored above...
Her private comm unit chirped "Jess we've got a corsair dreadnought coming in fast"
"Be right there" they rushed to the airlock and headed back to the ship to deal with this new visitor.
Iâll carry this flag
To the grave if I must
Because itâs flag that I love
And a flag that I trust
Report 23444 - Ship status and activities since failed negotiations
Hull Status : 100%
Shield Status: 95% - Minor damage due to nomad attacks
Weapon Status 100%
Engine Status: 100%
Fuel Status: 65%
Primary systems fully operational. Secondary systems operating at 50% due to decreased crew numbers.
***Open Report***
One week has passed since our exile from Liberty and the ThunderBay is already feeling the strain. Maintenance has become troublesome with the decreased amount of crew on board but somehow our new chief is getting work done.
We've had no major dealings with the Nomads, nor any other threats however this is partly due to me keeping the Ship near the freeport in a defensive stance. We cannot afford to waste resources at this time, since we have no way to replenish them once gone.
Many curious vessels have come by, demanding to know why a Naval vessel was in their space, most were understanding once the situation was explained however.
We've encounter in particular a group known as "Apocalypse" a group of rebels of sorts.. who immediately asked that I and my ship join them in their mission. It didn't take long to refuse their request, and I immediately seen what happened to them.
Just a day ago I witnessed their fleet being destroyed, I held back and stayed clear of the combat radius however did ask if any of the damaged Order vessels needed aid afterwords, luckily casualties were low.
A vessel known as "Surveyor_1" also appeared one day, its pilot seemed to be a rather sad gentlemen named Michael, who had lost everything, was searching for his wife. He left the freeport in the middle of a Keeper attack on the system, despite warnings he left, claiming his wife was calling him... I'm not sure what happened to him or his vessel. I pray he found his peace, somewhere in these lonely stars.
Finally, last night our scanners detected an altercation between the Order and Navy. I personally decided to set a course to where the fighting was, and maybe reason with the Navy captains to turn back and cease hostilities. This proved a mistake as the LSF and Navy had set up a trap, and left a Dreadnought guarding the entrances to the Alaska system. Luckily the Captain seemed somewhat sympathetic, and a sensor malfunction on his ship allowed us to power our jumpdrive and escape without conflict. At this point we were escorted to FP11, where we sit now.
I personally do not know what our future is, but it will most definitely be defending liberty and humanity, hopefully with some new friends... but we'll see how talks with the Order progress...
***End Report***
Iâll carry this flag
To the grave if I must
Because itâs flag that I love
And a flag that I trust
*On board the ThunderBay, high polar orbit of Toledo*
The bridge was quiet, a few crew members went along with their daily business, mostly just button pressing and running diagnostics. The Thunder Bay had not seen major action in quite some time, the Order still weren't too sure if they wanted to take on the ship or not. Jess had taken it upon herself to fly combat and scouting missions whenever the opportunity arose, in order to get accustomed to order procedures and strategies but it wasn't the same as commanding a ship, she finally began to feel she belonged in the captains chair.
Her thoughts were interupted when an alarm sounded
"Jess" John stood up "We just received a report, apparently the nomads launched an attack on Newyork"
"What kind of attack?" she stood up and ran over to the communications console
"Looks like, fighters, battleships... normally no problem, but the Navy's primary fleet is busy with a Rheinland incursion, only the 30th reserve fleet is in position to deal with it..."
"Damn, they can't handle an attack of this magnitude..." She returned to her chair "Engine room, power up the jumpdrive, set coordinates for New York"
"Ma'am?" a confused engineer came over the comms
"You heard me" she turned to John " Ask our new Order friends for some help, we will need it"
"Core is charged and ready" reported John
"All hands brace yourselfs and secure all stations for a jump to hyperspace" Jess orderd over the comms
"All decks report ready"
"Engage"
The ship lurched into hyperspace, covering vast distances in seconds, the ride was much smoother this time, as the technology had been tweaked, and this jump was controlled, unlike their last jump... The ship exited smoothly, and was illuminated immediately by the New York sun. In the distance weapons fire and explosions could be seen nearing Manhattan.
"Helm, get us there at best speed" The Thunder Bay sped forward at cruise speeds, her weapons charged and ready. Without hesitation, all her turrets opened fire as soon as they were in range. None of the other Navy ships noticed, but continued their fight. The ship rocked violently as several torpedoes struck her Aft shields, knocking out half her turrets.
"Evasive maneuvers, all turrets engage the gunboats, then the battleship" Jess ordered her crew.
The battle raged on longer, with the ThunderBay taking more hits from the nomads before they were all destroyed except the battleship which now turned towards Manhattan. Wreckage of Navy ships littered the area and the ThunderBay was the only ship left that was capable of damaging the Battleship but... her weapons were nearly all offline..
"Its making a run for Manhattan, Jess we are picking up some form of explosives onboard... seems it may be making a suicide run"
"Options?"
"We have none, all our weapons are down..." John let out between reading the information on his consoles.
"Damn... then there is no other option.. we need to stop it..."Jess gave a quick look around the bridge "Helm, set a collision course, engine room set the jump drive to overload, all hands abandon ship"
None of the crew questioned her, they just did their duties. The ship sped forward and was rocked by another explosion
"Damn, we lost autopilot... John, make sure the crew gets clear, I'll steer the ship manually"
"Jess, come on, I won't leave you"
"GO please, I'll get in a pod as soon as the ship is close"
He left... not that he wanted to.. the escape pods launched and the ship was eerily quiet. Not a soul remained except Jess, and she realized it had all come down to this moment.. this shows the strength of her resolve.
The ThunderBay closed on the Nomad ship, her hull torn and battered, fires raged across her decks. She would catch the Nomad before it was too late, her home would be saved. When she became sure that she ThunderBay was well on its way she rushed to the escape pod, tripping over some debreas as she fled. She felt her forehead as she got up, and noticed some blood but there was no time to worry, she got in the pod and launched, viewing the burning ship as her pod launched.
She had just about cleared the area, when her pod rocked with weapons fire. All controls were lost as its small engines were destroyed, her pod floated in space, at the mercy of whoever had attacked her.
Iâll carry this flag
To the grave if I must
Because itâs flag that I love
And a flag that I trust
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